Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘The Accountant 2’ Thrives On Affleck And Bernthal’s Chemistry

REVIEW: ‘The Accountant 2’ Thrives On Affleck And Bernthal’s Chemistry

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez03/09/20255 Mins ReadUpdated:04/24/2025
The Accountant 2 But Why Tho 2 1
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

It’s been almost 10 years since the last time we saw Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant. Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, director Gavin O’Connor helms this sequel, with Bill Dubuque returning as writer. The Accountant 2 brings us back to Solomon Grundy, quoting a forensic accountant who just so happens to know how to fight really, really well.

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems, which makes him the last hope for Ray King, an old acquaintance looking for a missing family. But when another murderer leaves behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff doesn’t really have a choice. His search for answers winds up uncovering an international danger. To get through it, Chris recruits his estranged brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. The duo works with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and winds up finding themselves right in the crosshairs of a network of killers.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The Accountant 2 is a much more self-aware film than the first when it comes to discussing autism. While it still deals with the trope that autism is a superpower, the film also treats Chris as more than his neurodivergence. Chris wants to date and get close to his brother. His autism is never treated like something that others him, so much as it’s just how he moves through the world. O’Connor and Dubuque are much more considerate of its representation on screen. The representations of Chris and his relationships feel empathetic and less like a gimmick than Affleck’s first production.

The Accountant 2 shows a deeper understanding of its core character.

John Bernthal and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2 from Amazon MGM Pictures

On the whole, though, The Accountant 2 is an action film that captures the eccentricities of a Mexican novella, the gunplay of a John Wick film, and the humor of a buddy comedy. This is not a complex film, but the way that O’Connor and Dubuque have executed his concept has to be applauded, especially when you take a step back and see how well The Accountant 2 swings for the fences and doesn’t really care how far the ball lands.

What really makes The Accountant 2 thrive, however, is how perfect Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck are as a pair. They’re believable as brothers because of how effortless every exchange is. Sure, their idiosyncrasies feel cut from the same cloth, but it’s how fiercely Braxton loves his big brother that allows him to poke fun, defend, fight with, and ultimately open up to Chris.

That’s the core of this film, and while I wish that the scenes’ climactic final fight sequences weren’t where all of the action was held, I would watch The Accountant 2 again and again just to see Bernthal and Affleck together. The charm that this film exudes makes up for any eyeroll-inducing choices, and a lot of that is thanks to its comedy. The duo is fantastic in a Los Angeles honky-tonk, sitting in lawn chairs on Chris’ Airstream and ripping through bad guys.

Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck are the perfect pair in The Accountant 2.

John Bernthal and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2 from Amazon MGM Pictures

Their charisma together makes this film succeed even in moments when it starts to waver. For his part as Chris, Affleck stretches his comedic muscles and pulls off a character that you can’t help but fall in love with. From speed dating to two-stepping and telling Braxton that he should get a cat and not a dog, it all works. Bernthal does the same, and his stubborn streak makes their brotherhood work.

While they’re the only two really fleshed out, leaving Daniella Pineda’s mysterious assassin and Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Agent Marybeth Medina or even Ray King (J.K. Simmons), I have so many more questions. Ultimately, though, the movie isn’t about them. And with Chris and Braxton’s dominance in the narrative, it’s hard to crave anyone else.

For as good as its action is, The Accountant 2 is light on actual fight sequences; however, when they do happen, they’re well-choreographed and use each situation to the fullest. The integration of the larger sets where the fights take place is so well done that it just makes me question why there wasn’t more. Truthfully, the action is primarily focused on the film’s opening and its third act. Outside of that, The Accountant 2 is a slow-moving train that doesn’t bore solely on the magnetic chemistry between Bernthal and Affleck.

With one of my favorite opening sequences of the festival, The Accountant 2 shows that sometimes waiting isn’t bad. This leads to a more mature film that doesn’t distance itself from the concept that has been raked over the coals. In fact, this outing shows a deeper understanding of who Chris is and doesn’t treat his Autism as something gakw at. Much of this is achieved by drawing parallels with his brother, as well as highlighting the series’ efforts to distinguish him from the mysterious assassin.

Instead, it’s looking to learn from the past and step into the future, and ultimately, it’s a reflection of the action mid-budget movie we have been missing. The Accountant 2 lives in the same space as Face/Off and the other action films of the 90s. And I mean that as a compliment. I’ll take three more if only we can get more action.

The Accountant 2 screened as a part of  SXSW 2025 and is playing now in theaters. 

The Accountant 2
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

The Accountant 2 shows that sometimes waiting isn’t bad. Here, it led to a more mature film and one that doesn’t distance itself from the concept that has been raked over the coals.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleSXSW: ‘O’Dessa’ May Be Overstuffed But It Still Rocks
Next Article REVIEW: ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 4 — “Hide Or Seek”
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

08/02/2025
Brandon Routh and co in Ick
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Ick’ Is A Near Perfect Horror-Comedy

07/29/2025
Bad Bunny and Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2
5.0

REVIEW: ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Earns More Shrugs Than Laughs

07/29/2025
Hi-Five
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Hi-Five’ Introduces A Scrappy, Superpowered Team Up

07/28/2025
Still from Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo
5.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo’ Gets A Little Lost In The Weeds

07/26/2025
Dakota Gorman in HELLCAT
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘HELLCAT’ Runs High In Tension But Loses Steam

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here